"I don't really see the point of this mission," Cam complained as they walked through the small village on PX9-087. "I mean seriously, SG5 visited what eighteen months ago? Friendly natives, nothing to trade, and it's not on the list Sam and Jack brought back right? How did you talk Sam into sending us here, Daniel?"

"Cam, you know I've wanted to take a look at these ruins for over a year. I don't know why Sam decided to send us now, but she has and I'm actually looking forward to doing something different. I guess maybe Sam decided we were making good enough progress with the relocation to spare 24 hours. Just think of it as a little vacation?"

"Vacation? Daniel, if this were a vacation I'd be with my wife not standing around while you play archeologist."

"Play archeologist?"

Vala realized things were about to get ugly and as much as she enjoyed the occasional bickering session, she really wanted Daniel to relax. She knew exactly why Sam had sent them on this little trip. She and Sam were both extremely worried about Daniel. He was constantly pouring over evacuation plans in his office or travelling with one team or another trying to ensure Earth's allies would be supportive when the people of Earth started relocating to so many different worlds. He'd always been such a workaholic. She rarely saw him. Of course, she stayed busy herself. Besides her duties on SG1, she was doing her best to help with little Katie. But, Daniel seemed so distant lately. She wondered if he was having trouble sleeping. He seemed so tired all the time. "Daniel," Vala said, making sure Cam heard hear, "don't mind Cameron. He's been a bear for weeks. I think he's nervous about his impending fatherhood. And, Cameron, if Sam okayed this mission then she must have had her reasons." With a smile, she added, "maybe there'll be treasure."

Her words did seem to calm the situation slightly as the men walked silently for awhile. Vala, of course, was anything but silent as she shared a few stories from her space pirating days in hopes of irritating them at her instead of each other. She was used to being the one they felt the need to keep in check. It didn't bother her as badly as it did when she first joined the team, because now she knew they did care about her. Well, it would be nice if Daniel cared about her in the same way she cared for him but things didn't always go the way Vala wanted. Actually, things rarely went her way, but she'd long since gotten used to that, too.

When they arrived at the ruins, Cameron and Teal'c kept watch over the perimeter while Daniel and Vala went to work on the translations. "It's definitely a dialect of goa'uld. This word is either sun or stars or maybe light," Daniel said more to himself than Vala, "and this one is, well, the closest words we have for it would be right time or, maybe, appointed time.

"I wish we had the rest of this wall," Vala replied. "Is this 'child of pair? Wait, no, it's 'child of two' then there's this missing piece. That's annoying. It's like starting a 1000 piece puzzle and getting almost to then end before realizing you only have 999 pieces."

"Since when do you put together puzzles?"

"Teal'c bought me one for Christmas. Very relaxing," she replied. Daniel just shook his head and went back to work. "Daniel, do you ever wonder what Sam and Jack are not telling the rest of us about the future? That's a puzzle I'd like to solve, but neither of them will give anything away. Do you think we die horrible deaths and they are trying to spare our feelings?"

"I really don't know. I think it's better not to know to much about your own future. What if I knew something wonderful was going to happen and I tried to force it to happen sooner than it was supposed to then my interference caused it to not happen at all. I'd rather wait and see, I think."

Vala thought about it for a moment. "I bet I know," she teased, "you're going to fall madly in love with me and ravage me in some wonderful ruins. Maybe today's the day." He looked at her with an exasperated expression and she smiled. "It's okay, darling, I won't turn you down."

"Um, maybe we should try and get a little more of this translated before Cam finds an excuse to go home early."

Vala nodded. "No, definitely still not interested in me," she thought then she found part of a word slightly buried in the dirt and began digging. Once it was clear, she began translating. "This word is forbidden, or rather what it represents is completely against goa'uld law. Have you ever heard of a harsesis?"

"Harsesis," Daniel said moving her aside. "Child of two, light, harsesis, and this word is safety. What's this one? Is it freedom?"

Vala looked, "I think it is free not freedom, but this is a strange dialect. Look here, this is definitely forgotten and this is returned. What does that even mean? But, this one is the oddest of all, it says hero. Believe me, a harsesis could never be a hero. When I was host to Qetesh, she expressed a serious disdain for the concept. Have you heard of them? A harsesis is the-"

"Child of two goa'uld, I know, Vala." He sighed, "I've met one. Well, I delivered him actually. He was my stepson."

"Oh, Daniel, I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"His name is Shifu."

"Is? Why wasn't he put to death? That's the punishment. A harsesis is born evil. All the genetic memories of the hosts are in his head."

"Oma helped him ascend. She helped him forget. He visited me once. He wanted to learn about his mother. It's a long story, but I know he wasn't evil. He actually helped me to see some things. He was kind of a hero," Daniel stopped talking and looked back at the writing. "We've got to decipher as much of this as possible. I think, just maybe, it's talking about Shifu."

"Daniel, " Vala began, "a harsesis can't be a hero. Think Adria, Daniel, only instead of the Ori memories, it's the goa'uld. That's not exactly better. Believe me. If he's ascended as you say , he's better off. What do you expect to change here? He's gone."

"No, he isn't. Well, I mean, he is but I've been having these dreams lately, for months actually. I've been dreaming about Shar'e and Shifu. Vala, I know it sounds crazy but I think he's trying to teach me something else. I have to do this."

"Of course, Daniel, let's get to it then and figure out these translations." As they worked, Vala's heart became heavier and heavier. He could never care for her the way she cared for him. He would never love her. He still loved his wife. She could never have him the way she wanted but she would be his friend. She'd help him figure out the lesson and hopefully find the closure he needed.

They worked until dark then poured over the video they'd taken on Daniels camera into the wee hours. Vala almost laughed when it occurred to her this was the first time they'd ever shared a tent. Usually, he made sure he was with Cam or Teal'c, so she wouldn't attempt to come on to him in the night. It was probably a good call, because she definitely knew she'd have made some kind of attempt at seduction. But, now that she truly knew there was no hope for them, Vala vowed never to hit on him again. She would be his friend. Any sparks of attraction she'd thought she sensed in him must have been her imagination. It was time to accept the truth and save face.

At breakfast, Daniel excitedly shared their findings with Cam and Teal'c. "If our translation is correct, there's at least a chance Shifu could live a normal life. There's a device in a place called Necropolis, it's a planet or it may be a city on a planet, I don't know yet. Necropolis means "city of the dead" so that implies it could actually be a city, I guess. Anyway, the device itself is hidden in a djew. In Egyptian mythology, a djew was the valley between two mountains. The Egyptians believed there was a space, a djew, between the two mountains, Manu and Baku. One was guarded by Anubis, and the other mountain was guarded by Hathor. They believe this was where heaven rested, Necropolis. What if Manu and Baku are planets on the edges of their respective territories and Necropolis is possibly somewhere in between. At least, it gives us a starting point."

Cam was the first to say anything, "But, Daniel, we are talking about the city of the dead here, right? Doesn't this sound a little crazy to you?"

"Crazier than travelling through wormholes to other planets? Crazier than travelling through time and returning with the blueprints to save the population of Earth? Crazy is what we do, Cam."

"There is a planet near the edge of what was once Hathor's territory called Baku'te. It is on the edge of Hathor's territory on the side bordering the original territory of Annubis. I know of nothing similar to Manu, but all jaffa know the legends of the city of the dead. It is said to be a very well protected place, so sacred that no goa'uld dares enter," Teal'c added.

"I get it. This place probably exists. You're right, but we are kind of in the middle of something pretty big here. Is this the right time for a quest? And, I just have to wonder, isn't it kind of pointless since he's already all glowy, sorry, an ascended being?"

"I've ascended and come back more than once. Shifu could come back, too."

"Daniel, I'm not trying to burst your bubble or anything but why would he want to descend? I mean, don't you think he's better off?" Cam asked.

"It's hard to explain, but for nearly a year I've been dreaming about Shifu. I think he's trying to tell me something. I think, just maybe, he wants to see if he can trust me before he attempts to come back. He's only really ever lived as an ascended being. Maybe, he wants to experience life as one of us."

"Trust you, Daniel?" Vala piped in, "what's not to trust?"

"I made some mistakes when he visited. Granted, I was unconscious at the time, but I really believe he wanted to live with me before I tried to talk him into helping us fight the goa'uld." Daniel looked down. It was obvious he didn't want to go into details, and Vala decided it would be best if she waited and talked to Sam or Teal'c privately later to fulfill her curiosity.

"Daniel Jackson, I believe your emotions on this subject may hinder your judgement. It would be wise to consider all the possibilities before proceeding down a path you may wish you hadn't travelled," Teal'c said with a nod.